The 1975 are releasing a live album version of 2024’s ‘Still… At Their Very Best’ tour show at the AO Arena in Manchester.
As someone who was there in the flesh, trust us, it’s a performance worth reliving.
With the Wilmslow-formed Manc adoptees looking like they might be gearing up for another album cycle, not to mention being named as one of the headliners on the 2025 Glastonbury lineup, it seems as though they break from the spotlight is coming to an end.
It’s been two years and a half years since they dropped their last album, Being Funny in a Foreign Language, but they’ve been touring around the world pretty much ever since and now they’ve decided to press one of their concert highlights onto vinyl.
As you can see, perhaps the most striking thing about the upcoming live LP is the artwork for it. Although we can’t put our finger on exactly where it is, the imagery looks to be taken from a housing estate somewhere nearby.
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To be honest, it wouldn’t matter whether it was in Greater Manchester or somewhere in their home county of Cheshire, for that matter: there’s just undeniably familiar and undeniably Northern-looking about the whole thing.
How on Earth they’ve managed to look something so normal and mundane somehow poetic and interesting we’ll never know, all we can guarantee is that the recordings pulled for this latest release are guaranteed to be brilliant.
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Following the first world tour of their critically acclaimed fifth record, we waxed lyrical over the performance and after witnessing the evolution of that admittedly barmy live set all over again just over a year later, we went so far as to dub them among “some of the best performers on the planet”.
The only dilemma we have is deciding which one we prefer more: January 2023 or February 2024. Having said that, one did include a very special surprise guest…
We’re standing by that claim we made above, by the way; maybe it’s because of just how good that Manchester energy was and exactly why The 1975 boys have decided not just to document it but immortalise that particular gig as a live album.
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Not only was it their de facto homecoming gig following a gargantuan world tour, but as it was the second iteration of that first ‘At Their Very Best’ show, the chances were it was always going to get better and more refined.
The setlist included the typical title track opening, ‘Looking For Somebody To Love’, ‘Happiness’, ‘Part Of The Band’ and ‘Oh Caroline’; ‘Robbers’, ‘Fallingforyou’, ‘Somebody Else’, ‘Chocolate’, ‘I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)’, ‘People’ and many more.
You can find the full tracklist and pre-order The 1975 ‘Still… At Their Very Best live album, taken directly from the AO Arena performance in Manchester, right HERE.
The cover for The 1975 Manchester live album and the moments it captures. (Credit: Dirty Hit/Audio North)
Featured Images — Dirty Hit Records/The Manc Group
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Sarah Harding breast cancer study has helped save over 80 women
Thomas Melia
A life-saving study set in memory of Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding has seen her lasting legacy extend far beyond music, as now women across the country are getting cancer tests more frequentlythanks to the research.
Funded by The Christie, The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal began its first phase of the BCAN-RAY (Breast Cancer Risk Assessment in Younger Women) back in May 2023.
Led by Dr Sacha Howell, who was Harding’s consultant, the work explores risk factors and creates personalised early screening options for women as young as 30.
This is extremely important as currently women are only invited for routine breast screenings every three years from 50 onwards. Awareness and being proactive are just as important as research.
Sarah Harding, who passed away in 2021, has a dedicated mural in her hometown of Stockport.Credit: The Manc Group
The studies set up in Sarah‘s legacy are vital now more than ever as breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women aged 35-50 years in the UK.
These more frequent and routine checks from a younger age will be vital, especially since an estimated 10,000 women a year are diagnosed under 50.
The BCAN-RAY study has recruited 500 women aged between 30 and 39 years old, who have had their risk assessment appointments.
Out of this number – 404 patients have been given their risks – 316 as ‘average risk’ and 88 were found as ‘increased risk’.
88 were found as ‘increased risk’ with 58 of these receiving telephone calls to discuss further implications and discuss strategies to reduce this such as diet, exercise and medication.
So far 18 women have had their first mammogram, with no recalls or cancer identified. Following this, each woman is offered regular screening every year until their NHS breast screening starts at age 50.
Dr Sacha Howell commented, “We’re really confident that we have a system that is working, from the results so far, which is great news, these findings mean that we may be able to offer personalised ways to predict and prevent breast cancer more widely in the population in future”.
Girls Aloud featured a glorious tribute to Sarah Harding each night of the show.The lovely Sarah Harding singing to Manchester one last time.Credit: Audio North
In 2022, The Christie art and relaxation room received a wonderful makeover from proceeds raised at the Primrose Ball organised by Girls Aloud.
Within this room, visitors can find a lovely framed picture of Sarah Harding with the quote, “The darkest nights produce the brightest stars” and with all the work accomplished so far, we couldn’t agree more.
If you would like to show your support and help fund this life-changing research set up in Sarah’s legacy, you can donate HERE.
Music TV show Spill The Sound has announced a brand new series
Thomas Melia
Manchester-based music TV show, Spill The Sound, is back with its latest series filmed at The Yard, featuring plenty of exciting indie and alternative music faces.
Hosted by Louise Schofield and, Spill The Sound evokes the good old days of music TV shows incorporating styles from Popworld, Snub TV and Granada TV’s ‘So It Goes’.
The series itself is produced by Laura Graham of StreamGM, Greater Manchester’s multi-award streaming and media platform, who create and broadcast the show.
As an official partner with Audio North, this brand aims to spotlight creative voices across Greater Manchester and helped launch an industry careers podcast just last month.
Throughout March, the latest season of Spill The Sound (STS) will be bringing three episodes centred around some independent artists with very unique styles.
Listeners will be able to hear the likes of Andrew Cushin, The Guest List, Dirty Blonde and Megan Wyn, all of which have achieved incredible things while on the rise.
Another big get for the show is Andrew Cushin, who’s been mentored by none other than Noel Gallagher and already appeared on the bill as a supporting act for the likes of Paul Weller, Louis Tomlinson and many more.
Alt-rock duo Dirty Blonde are also featuring in this latest series and it’s no surprise either as they’ve already seen a buzz in the UK airwaves with praise from BBC Radio 1 and Radio X.
The latter of the newest lineup isn’t one to ignore either as Megan Wyn has been hailed as the ‘woman to watch’ by Clash Magazine and is set to support Alanis Morissette.
The Guest List playing hook-a-duck throughout their interview.Credit: Spill The Sound (supplied)
Every episode has been filmed at local music venue, The Yard Manchester, which provides the perfect space for these lighthearted interviews and spectacular pared-down performances.
This music platform has hosted and promoted lots of local talent including Antony Szmierek, Red Rum Club, The K’s, Hi Sienna and Seb Lowe, just to name a few.
The latest series of Spill The Sound kicks off with Andrew Cushin on Wednesday, 19 March with the remaining two episodes released in three-day instalments.
You can give it a watch when each episode goes live exclusively on StreamGM HERE or via the STS YouTube channel down below:
Danny Jones -
7th March 2025 
